


With You, Always -- or How to Casually Drop the B-Bomb

by ninanna



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-05
Updated: 2014-09-05
Packaged: 2018-02-16 06:40:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2259750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninanna/pseuds/ninanna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin likes to push himself hard, especially now that his career taking off in university, but thankfully there is someone who watches over him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	With You, Always -- or How to Casually Drop the B-Bomb

**Author's Note:**

> Because I can't seem to have enough sourin these days and I am not sure what to do with these feelings but to distil them into fluff.

“48.39. No Good.”

 

“No Good?”

 

Rin deeply inhaled and exhaled once before he lifted himself out of the pool,

“That’s a personal best and better than last week. Way over the Asian Games—“

“Haruka timed 48.36 yesterday.”

“Wha-what?! But his top was 48.42 last week!”

“I know.”

 

Rin gave a long sigh loud enough to fully illustrate just how tired his muscles and soul were and how frustrating it was to lose the upper hand so easily… The pain on his neck throbbed a little and he reflexively reached with his hand to gently rub it, whereas his consciousness was busy planning the training for rest of his day to somehow find a way to obliterate that 0.03 second latency.

“It must be my roll…” he murmured, eyes focused on the ground but vision filled with images of the flawless form of his dear friend and rival, “I rotate my head a little too much I think. Damn, his body roll is so perfect and yet he even improves…”

“Good call. You also breath more unilaterally compared to him.”

“Hmm… Yeah! Well! Let’s go at it again and this time—“

 

“Where do you think you’re going?”

 

Sousuke pulled Rin lightly from the back of his goggles’ strap which earned him a high pitched and loud, “What the fuck Sousuke?!”

“Don’t you _what the fuck_ me. You’re done for the day.”

“Wait, what?! Are you kiddin’ me right now?”

“Nope.”

“You gotta be kiddin’, come on! You yourself said it was no good.”

“Yeah, it’s no good alright, doesn’t mean I’ll let you swim yourself to death.”

“I won’t swim myself to death.”

 

It was a rather adorable sight in Sousuke’s humble opinion, the way Rin almost pouted (but not fully – _trying to play the serious, tough guy again huh?_ ), lips partially puckered and partially turned down in a determined scowl; his eyebrows furrowed and eyes blazing. If anything Sousuke felt an urge to chuckle and ruffle his wet, carmine locks. He swallowed that particular want and instead calmly pointed a finger to Rin’s neck. This did not bring forth any reaction from the other though, so he gave a small exasperated sigh and moved his finger forward such that his fingertip slightly pressed onto Rin’s neckline right above his left collarbone. Rin’s eyes that had subconsciously started following the said finger in its journey suddenly flamed – not with childish whine and spoiled anger like a second ago but with pain.

“Ugh…”

“Yeah, like I thought.”

“Come on… it’s just… just neck pain.”

“’Just neck pain’? Just? _Just_?”

“Gosh, you are like a mother hen...”

 

“I have reasons to be so.”

 

Rin’s eyes flickered with hurt then, not about himself but about them in general. He bit his lower lip slightly in guilt even though he had no reason to be guilty for; sure Sousuke had screwed up his swimming career, but it was his own doing, his own foolishly unchecked enthusiasm, overpowering yearnings, deliberate ignorance of his own body… Yet, Rin surely would not be Rin, if he did not so easily and naturally empathise, lose composure immediately despite all his bravado, care for those around him more than they do themselves… Rin would not be Rin, if he was not so sensitive. So while Rin’s face donned a look of self-blame and eyes clearly searched for a cue on what to say or do, how to either change the topic or apologise without words, Sousuke simply smiled. The subtlety of affection Rin bestowed always moved him intimately and brought along a gentle warmth.

His other, curled fingers straightened and he let his palm slowly slide from the crook of Rin’s neck onto his left shoulder then below, it stopped above his elbow and gave a slight squeeze,

“I meant _you_ , silly. Don’t look at me like that.”

“Liar. You’re lying again.”

 

The whiny scowl made its entry once again but it was rather forced. It was not as if seeing Rin sad made Sousuke happy, in fact the opposite was true, but how can you not be touched so tenderly on the barest parts of your soul when you can clearly see how much you are loved? Hence, he could not help his smile widen.

“I’m not. Why should I? It was _you_ who complained from lower back pain just last month. You keep fussing over everyone else but yourself, y’know.”

Rin’s eyes widened a little at the comment then he hung his head, gaze finding its way to the ground once again as Sousuke’s palm started sliding up once more, lingering over every patch of skin on the way to Rin’s neck and finally settling on the delicately strong curvature only to start slowly rubbing the aching flesh.

“I take care of myself…” Rin mumbled, though the defiance of his words was as lost as his thoughts were.

“Yeah well you should do more so that I can get a day off or something…”

“Asshole. What are you gonna do if you have a day off anyway?”

“I’ll find something.”

“What, for example?” Rin said, flexing his neck and shoulders calmly and very slowly under the soothing motion of the large palm massaging his muscles, “You’ll go try to pick up girls or something?”

 

Each syllable of his last words were stretched playfully and he rose his head to face his coach’s assistant, an eyebrow raised, lips curled up in a cheeky little smile, eyes glancing amusedly. For a second there Sousuke was caught unready but being one who has always been good at keeping his emotions hidden and reactions veiled, he caught himself before any sign of surprise ever appeared on his face. His hand perhaps stilled but only for a split second that Rin did not seem to realise at all. So he let his hand continue on with the careful massage as he raised his other hand to gingerly palm over the other side of Rin’s neck, his both hands now working their slow healing magic on the pained flesh. He moved his head to the side a bit and stared at Rin’s face for a moment then shrugged,

“Nah, not really my cup of tea. I’d take my boyfriend on a date or something… Probably.”

It was so unexpected that Rin flushed a little at the blithe honesty, his ears turning red, frustrated at his own line of joking turning against him like that, he opened his mouth ready to utter a comeback when Sousuke very deliberately moved his fingers onto a particularly sore spot on both sides of his neck with perfect harmony… Thus, what came out of Rin’s parted lips was a deliciously deep moan instead, causing his ears to flare crimson and Sousuke to unabashedly chuckle.

 

Rin closed his eyes then and exhaled loudly in mock exasperation, his knee raising up and striking Sousuke’s thigh in a mock kick simultaneously,

“I hate you, you know…” he said in an unconcealed lie to which Sousuke smiled lopsidedly and hummed before responding,

 

“Yeah, I love you too.”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Setting clarification because for some reason I did not want to tag and mention it beforehand: established sourin, university au, Sousuke is studying Sports Science and working as an assistant for the swimming team's coach, Rin is the star athlete of the school who has already started making a name for himself in international competitions and one of the nation's best. Haru is Rin's equally marvellous rival and attending another university.


End file.
